Chester, N.J. Woman Wins Bayer's Breathless Moments Contest

WHIPPANY, N.J., May 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer is pleased to announce the winner of Breathless Moments, a photo contest designed to raise awareness about chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) by showcasing inspirational events, sights or moments in time that can take a person's breath away. The winning photo was taken by Patricia Middings of Chester, N.J., and selected by judges Trace Cluck, a CTEPH patient, and his wife Stephanie Cluck.

Bayer raised awareness about CTEPH, a rare form of pulmonary hypertension caused by blood clots in the lungs (a pulmonary embolism),¹ by promoting the Breathless Moments contest through public relations and social media.  To enter the contest, photographers had to first visit the educational disease awareness site cteph.com and take a quiz about the CTEPH symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options, including the potentially curative surgery, pulmonary thromboendartorectomy. Photos were judged based on their visual appeal, as well as their ability to depict a truly breathtaking moment. 

"I was honored to win Bayer's Breathless Moments contest," said Ms. Middings, whose winning photo depicts a beach sunset.  "I am a nurse, and knowing that my photo is helping to raise awareness about CTEPH is very gratifying."

"It is estimated that 500 to 2500 patients develop CTEPH every year in the U.S., many of whom go undiagnosed, which is particularly troubling as a surgical option has the potential to cure some CTEPH cases," said Dario Mirski, MD, vice president and head, U.S. Medical Affairs, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals. "Bayer is proud to be working to raise awareness about CTEPH, in the hope that increased education will lead to better outcomes for patients."

"We are very pleased to see Bayer's commitment to CTEPH patients and their work to raise awareness about the disease," said Rino Aldrighetti, president and CEO of the Pulmonary Hypertension Association, Silver Spring, Md. "Increased awareness is important because CTEPH is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, causing patients to lose valuable treatment time, which can lead to a poor prognosis."

To learn more about CTEPH, please visit www.CTEPH.com.

About Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. 
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the U.S.-based pharmaceuticals business of Bayer HealthCare LLC, a subsidiary of Bayer AG. Bayer HealthCare is one of the world's leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry, and combines the activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care, and Pharmaceuticals divisions. As a specialty pharmaceutical company, Bayer HealthCare provides products for Cardiopulmonary, Hematology, Neurology, Oncology and Women's Healthcare. The company's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human health worldwide by diagnosing, preventing and treating diseases.

Bayer^® and the Bayer Cross^® are registered trademarks of Bayer. 

Forward Looking Statement
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer Web site at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

¹ Pepke-Zaba et al., ERS 2010.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150511/215061

SOURCE Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.